European Paediatric Association PagesVaccine Hesitancy and Refusal
Section snippets
Definition and Effects of Vaccine Hesitancy and Refusal Phenomenon
Vaccine hesitancy and refusal has developed most likely because of multiple social, cultural, political, and personal converging factors.1 There is blurring between hesitancy and refusal; inconsistencies also exist in the definition when the problem is mapped in different countries.4
The World Health Organization defines vaccine hesitancy and refusal as a delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability of vaccination services. Vaccine hesitancy was described to be complex and
Political and Social Aspects
Different circumstances in Europe have influenced vaccine coverage and rendered Europe prone to vaccine failure and hesitancy. Political conflicts and instability, as well as immigration, have been linked to vaccine hesitancy. For example, concerns have been raised about the suspected use of porcine components in vaccines.9 Several Central and Eastern European countries have experienced decreasing vaccine uptake and delayed vaccinations following the fall of Soviet Union, and some of these
Ethics
It is not necessary to delve too far into the past to sense a disinclination to vaccinate, given the widely held false perception that vaccine-preventable diseases are no longer a threat. A reliance (and belief) in herd protection bolsters the perceived rights of parents and other individuals not to vaccinate and for them to rely on others being vaccinated. This is not to argue that it would be “good” for a few cases of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis following measles or congenital rubella
Consequences
It is now nearly 20 years since the infamous article by Wakefield et al,11 fraudulently purporting to have shown a link between measles/mumps/rubella vaccine and autism. There are likely to be cohorts, now reaching young adulthood, who are neither vaccinated against these 3 viruses nor exposed naturally. Ironically, their chances of exposure to measles are not negligible because of the high transmissibility of this virus and recurrent measles epidemics.12 The chance of female members of these
Conclusions
In terms of numbers of lives saved, vaccination stands among the most effective measures ever accomplished by medical intervention.15 However, the results achieved by this public health intervention are seriously endangered by the growing phenomena of vaccine hesitancy and refusal. The multifactorial and complex causes of vaccine hesitancy, including the uncompromised demand for the unremitting usage of vaccines, their coincidental temporal relationships to adverse health outcomes,
References (15)
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Vaccine hesitancy: causes, consequences, and a call to action
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Mapping vaccine hesitancy—country-specific characteristics of a global phenomenon
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Tracking parental attitudes on vaccination across European countries: the Vaccine Safety, Attitudes, Training and Communication Project (VACSATC)
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Understanding vaccine hesitancy around vaccines and vaccination from a global perspective: a systematic review of published literature, 2007-2012
Vaccine
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The Vaccination Confidence Scale: a brief measure of parents' vaccination beliefs
Vaccine
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Timeliness of vaccination and its effects on fraction of vaccinated population
Vaccine
(2008) - et al.
RETRACTED: Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children
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E.M. is employed by Takeda Vaccines. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest.